I don't own Neopets the Darkest Faerie

Chapter 7:

"Tor."

The young knight looked up from his meal and to his father. He hadn't even seen him walk into the dining hall, though of course he hadn't been paying much attention. He'd been giving the new squire some pointers about dealing with the teachings of Master Torak. The gelert wasn't much younger than Tor himself and had shown up the day after the knights had returned from Werelupe Woods. Tor had actually met him twice before. Dawson was from Cogham, and Tor remembered seeing him fighting off the Ixi invaders. When Hubert approached Dawson respectfully dipped his head and moved over to sit by Grayson who he easily got along with.

"Dad. Something you need?"

"Your mother and I are returning to the farm today. I think that being back home will help her cope better."

Tor nodded solemnly. "I understand. But Dad, I'm going to bring Lucy home. Roberta and I—"

Hubert cut him off. "I know that you've both been doing your best to find out where the werelupes have gone. But Tor, chances are slim."

Tor looked down at his shoes. "Will you need an escort?"

"There's no need. Come and talk to your mother for a little bit before we have to leave."

….

"Are you feeling alright, Tor?" Roberta asked. They were walking towards the pub to grab a quick drink and, once again, do their best to track down the werelupes using their many maps that they'd collected. Most were treasure maps which held little detail, just main landmarks to help you know where you were. "Your mother is going to be fine."

"I know. I just feel like I failed them. I promised them I would find Lucy." Tor explained, his shoulders drooping.

"And you will, Tor," Roberta said with conviction. "You haven't failed, and you aren't going to."

They walked by the battle arena. Shanra was leaning against the stand, looking bored, staring up at the clouds. She was probably hoping that someone would step up for a fight sometime soon. "Hey there, Champ." She greeted Tor. "And Roberta. The two of you heading down for a drink?"

"Yeah," Tor nodded.

"We're mostly just going to be looking over maps though," Roberta added. She sat down on the empty stool next to Shanra's. The two acaras had become good friends in the two weeks Roberta had spent in Meridell. When Roberta wasn't with Tor, pouring over maps, training, or getting a drink, she was with Shanra, talking, watching battles, or getting a drink.

"Got any ideas yet?" Shanra asked.

"Not yet," Tor responded. He leaned against the wooden stand, knowing that they might be there for a few minutes. "I think that there must be some sort of underground system that they would go to, like the one in werelupe woods. Maybe an old mine or something. But that's just a theory."

"I get what you're saying." Shanra said. "But I think that might be a little obvious. This assassin seems too smart for that."

Tor frowned, thinking back to the previous encounters. The gelert had been a tricky fighter and he played dirty. But he'd had years and years of perfecting his style, from what the books had said. After his love had died, the gelert had become cold and heartless. He'd begun dabbling in dark magic to seek revenge. But the darkness and need for vengeance had consumed him, and once he has fulfilled his quest to rid Neopia of the one who killed his only love, he kept killing. He killed anyone who tried to stop him, he killed anyone who crossed him, and he killed for the money. His name had been lost for over a century. There was no need for a name, referred to only as the Dark Assassin. Tor shook his head in disgust. "You're right, Shanra. He's way too smart for something so simple. He'll want some way to show his power. However, his power is still growing and I think that, at least for now, he'll be lying low."

The two acaras stared at him with raised eyebrows. It could have been comical how alike they actually looked. Roberta began to nod slowly. "That's a theory, though I don't like the thought of him gaining power like this."

"Me neither," Tor murmured. The more power the Assassin gained, the less of a chance Tor had of beating him and getting Lucy back to their parents.

"What I want to know is how the guy started to lead the werelupes to begin with," Shanra said. "It seems very unlikely."

"It does seem unlikely in normal circumstances," Roberta began. "Tor killed the werelupe king in battle and that sent the werelupes into chaos. I'll bet all the assassin had to do was walk in and give a little show of his power. They'd follow him in a heartbeat. If they didn't they'd be killed or exiled if they were lucky."

Shanra shook her head in disgust and cursed under her breath at the werelupes. Tor understood where she was coming from. Werelupes were big and brutal opponents, but they were a disgrace. They held no loyalty and followed who held the greatest power. Had Tor stayed after defeating the king, then he would have easily been able to take the position. But he wouldn't even dream of it, being a leader to those mindless creatures.

…

It was late into the night, or rather early into the morning. The sun was not yet up, but would soon begin to rise over the horizon. Maybe Tor should have given up hours ago, but he still stared over the maps, searching for any little sign that might show where the werelupes could have gone. But these were treasure maps that showed very few landmarks. It only had enough so that the treasure hunter might know where he was going. But they weren't doing him any good. In his sudden anger, Tor swept the maps off the table and onto the floor. Thankfully Roberta had already gone to sleep, or she would have reprimanded him.

Tor stepped over the maps and went over to search the bookshelves again. There had to be something in one of these books. They just hadn't found it yet. Eventually Tor grabbed a book of legends, giving up on the map, but not ready to sleep. Maybe some reading would calm him down.

The Golden Caves

Long ago there was a young Gelert. He was notorious in the lands of Meridell and Brightvale for his thieving ways and his silent way of killing, but nobody was ever able to capture him. For these reasons, he became known as The Shadow Raider. Nobody knew his real name or where he came from, not even his closest allies. The only clue the thief left at his sites of criminality was his calling card: a piece of paper with a dagger sticking into a coin that was marked with an S.R. drawn onto it. And it seemed to all that he was unstoppable.

Then, after The Shadow Raider's biggest robbery, he was put to an end. The thief had managed to run off with a sizeable amount of Brightvale's treasure, posing for months as a guard. Not one had any suspicion as to who he really was. One night while on duty, he snuck down into the treasure vault and opened the door to his allies on the other side who had managed to make their way through the rumored tunnels that would lead to the treasury. Together they carried off many neopoints out through these tunnels and through the alleys of the kingdom to where a carriage was waiting for them outside of the city walls. It was the greatest con in history.

All thieves have a code of honor, though many think this is false. They will stick together, stronger as a team than they are alone. These factions are closer knit than siblings and the thought of betrayal is worthy of death. But they all had their own secrets still. And the Shadow Raider's secret was where he kept his loot after the robbery.

Seeing his chance, the Shadow Raider made off with all of the stolen money while the others were distracted by the sound of the raised alarms. Most of them got away with the intent of seeking out the Shadow Raider and getting their share. But a single thief was caught by the guards. In hope of getting set free, he told his interrogators the general area where they would find the Shadow Raider. He was not set free, but sentenced to life in the dungeons.

The Shadow Raider was caught without the treasure, wandering around with many wounds from the men he betrayed. It is unknown whether or not they got their share. The thief was questioned about the whereabouts of the money, but ended up taking the secret to his grave, but leaving a single clue.

"My treasure will be found under the stones as the flowers sing their mournful tune. They shall show the way."

There has yet to be anyone who had found where the treasure lies, but it is said that it lays Far East of the two kingdoms of Meridell and Brightvale.

Tor read and reread the passage several times, staring at the sketch of the thief's symbol. It sounded as if the treasure was underground in some kind of cave. Somewhere in the east. A cave in the east…

Tor jumped as Roberta walked into the library, yawning widely. She stopped when she saw him and the maps scattered across the wooden floor. "You were here all night?" Tor nodded slowly, still thinking about the story. "Well from the looks of it you didn't find anything. I think it's time you got some rest."

"Wait," Tor protested. He waved her over to him and held of the large book. "Read this." He watched as Roberta read the story, her confusion showing in her eyes. Finally she set the book down lightly on the stable.

"Is this really the time for a treasure hunt, Tor? A treasure that has never been found in recorded history no less, from a book that was written forty years ago."

Tor stared at her. That was all she took in from that? The last thing on his mind was the treasure! Tor stood from his seat and walked around the table to stand beside her. He pointed to the book and said, "I'm not talking about treasure here, Roberta! At the end, the riddle that the Shadow Raider left. 'My treasure will be found under the stones.' Right there he was talking about a cave, I know it. And it says that it is somewhere east of Meridell and Brightvale."

Roberta shook her head. "It only says that there's a possibility that it's there. And as I said, nobody's found it before."

Tor sighed and lowered his voice. "Look, I know it's a longshot. But maybe that's where they are! So far we've had no other lead. Don't you think that maybe it just might be worth checking out?"

She didn't answer right away, but regarded him with a thoughtful expression. Tor waited patiently for her to make a decision. "Alright, we can check it out. But not just yet. We need to prepare, and you need to get some sleep."

"I will. We'll take two days to prepare, and then we go."

….

Things didn't turn out as planned. The next day as the two were stocking up on potions and food, a techno, a little younger than Tor, walked straight up to him in the street. He had a wooden sword at his side and a shield on his back.

"Sir Tormund Ellis, I challenge you to a fight for the title as Arena Champion."

Tor just raised an eyebrow. This was a rare occurrence. This had to be the fighter he'd been told about that had moved up through the ranks almost as quickly as he did. And then Tor grinned. "Sure thing, kid."

"Tor, your wound hasn't closed yet," Roberta muttered in his ear. "You strain it too much as it is in training."

"I'll be fine," Tor told her quietly. "It's just a fight using wooden swords. Knockout wins."

Roberta rolled her eyes. "Boys!" she mumbled in exasperation and began walking. Tor and the techno just looked at each other in confusion and then to the sorceress. She realized that they weren't following her and turned around, hands on her hips. "Are you two coming or not? We might as well get this over with."

..

"Today's fighters are Tormund Ellis, our current champion," Shanra paused as cheers exploded through the stands. Tor gave them a slight wave in acknowledgment, keeping his eyes fixed on his opponent. "And our rookie, who I'm sure reminds us all of the Champ himself, Zachariah Parce!" More cheers followed, though noticeably less. Most were betting on the champion to win and would rather not lose their money. "A knockout wins. No potions of any kind or any kind of food or motes. Begin."

Tor drew his wooden sword. Zachariah came running at him. Yeah, he really was a rookie. Tor remembered doing the same thing though before he was trained to really fight. He quickly moved out of the way and Zachariah spun around just in time. The swords crashed into one another and Tor pushed the techno away easily. While Zachariah tried to regain his footing, Tor swung his sword at his hip, knocking Zachariah to the ground. The techno rolled away from the next swing and got to his feet in a fluid movement. Tor didn't get to dodge in time, still recovering from the miss, and was hit. It was only on his left arm, he'd managed to block most of it with his shield.

"You're better than I thought you'd be," Tor growled as their swords locked again a few minutes later

"So are you." Zachariah responded, panting. He was beginning to tire out, unused to fights lasting this long.

"Don't be getting cocky yet," Tor advised with a grin. He pulled away and before his opponent could react, he drove forward. 1…2…3…1…2…3… Hit after hit. Four out of the six hit their mark and Zachariah hit the ground. The crowd cheered, knowing that this was the end and that Tor had won. Tor raised his sword slightly and pointed it at Zachariah's neck. "Do you give?"

"I give," the techno gritted out angrily. He'd challenged Tor in the first place and now felt like a fool for losing. "You win."

Tor held out his hand and helped Zachariah up to his feet. "You're a pretty good fighter, but your skills are unrefined." Tor said. "Ever thought of becoming a knight?"

"Nope."

Tor smiled. "Well you should. Meridell could use someone like you, especially in these times. Think about it, and if you should decide that you would like to take the path to knighthood, go to Officer Kendrick. You'll need to have your parents sign permission forms and find a knight who will sponsor you, something I haven't got a problem with doing after that fight."

Zachariah looked at his feet. "My parents were killed around a month ago by the werelupes."

"That's just more of a reason to do this. I'm not saying get your revenge, but fight for them."

The techno nodded slowly. "I'll think about it."

Tor nodded. "Good." He took his sword from Roberta as she walked over and handed it to him. He sheathed it and tossed the wooden sword to the side. "You've got potential, Zachariah."

Tor and Robert walked away from the arena with Tor's pride intact and headed back to the castle with their supplies. When they reached the castle doors, they met guardsmen Wade and Hector, both with grave faces. Tor asked them what was wrong immediately, dread filling him and killing his good mood.

"There's an Ixi attack on Cogham. The messenger is inside with His Majesty now," Hector said.

"And Tor, you're not gonna like this," Wade said. "There's been word of a dark cloaked figure at the attack."

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